M.I.A.’s “Borders” Is Calling You Out

At this point, it should come as no surprise that M.I.A. isn’t all too happy with the way that society is operating. And, as per usual, she’s not going to shy away from criticizing mainstream values and policies—instead, she’s going to force you to think about them. In her new song, “Borders,” which just leaked a day ahead of its release, she literally asks you to question everything you’ve been talking about on your smartphones and social media: “Kween, what’s up with that? Killin’ it, what’s up with that? Slaying it, what’s up with that? Your goals, what’s up with that? Being bae, what’s up with that? Makin’ money, what’s up with that? Breakin’ internet, what’s up with that? Love wins, what’s up with that?”

But, most of all, M.I.A., who fled Sri Lanka in the middle of a three-decade-long civil war, wants you to rethink the whole concept of “borders.” She sings, “Guns blows doors to the system. Fuck ‘em when we say we’re not with them. We are solid and we don’t need to kick them. This is North, South, East, and Western.” Why aren’t we all opening up our borders and doors to refugees? Perhaps it’s time to take a break from social media and contemplate that question for a little while.